mistaken course of action ; disappointment would expose them to the derision of unbelievers , and they would be in danger of yielding to discouragement and would be tempted to doubt the truths essential for their salvation . The apostle ' s admonition to the Thessalonians contains an important lesson for those who live in the last days . Many Adventists have felt that unless they could fix their faith upon a definite time for the Lord ' s coming , they could not be zealous and diligent in the work of preparation . But as their hopes are again and again excited , only to be destroyed , their faith receives such a shock that it becomes well-nigh impossible for them to be impressed by the great truths of prophecy .
The preaching of a definite time for the judgment , in the giving of the first message , was ordered by God . The computation of the prophetic periods on which that message was based , placing the close of the 2300 days in the autumn of 1844 , stands without impeachment . The repeated efforts to find new dates for the beginning and close of the prophetic periods , and the unsound reasoning necessary to sustain these positions , not only lead minds away from the present truth , but throw contempt upon all efforts to explain the prophecies . The more frequently a definite time is set for the second advent , and the more widely it is taught , the better it suits the purposes of Satan . After the time has passed , he excites ridicule and contempt of its advocates , and thus casts reproach upon the great advent movement of 1843 and 1844 . Those who persist in this error will at last fix upon a date too far in the future for the coming of Christ . Thus they will be led to rest in a false security , and many will not be undeceived until it is too late .
The history of ancient Israel is a striking illustration of the past experience of the Adventist body . God led His people in the advent movement , even as He led the children of Israel from Egypt . In the great disappointment their faith was tested as was that of the Hebrews at the Red Sea . Had they still trusted to the guiding hand that had been with them in their past experience , they would have seen the salvation of God . If all who had labored unitedly in the work in 1844 , had received the third angel ' s message and proclaimed it in the power of the Holy Spirit , the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts . A flood of light would have been shed upon the world . Years ago the inhabitants of the earth would have been warned , the closing work completed , and Christ would have come for the redemption of His people .
It was not the will of God that Israel should wander forty years in the wilderness ; He desired to lead them directly to the land of Canaan and establish them there , a holy , happy people . But " they could not enter in because of unbelief ." Hebrews 3:19 . Because of their backsliding and apostasy they perished in the desert , and others were raised up to enter the Promised Land . In like manner , it was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be
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